Psalm 19 on the brain

Tonight I shared with the worship team at FBCC that very rarely do I have any profound words to speak. I am not a great expositor of the Bible, though I hope to be. I don't consider myself to be a person of superior intellect or wisdom (hang out with me for 5 minutes and I will prove it).Realistically I just want you to see my heart, my struggles, my failures, my successes; all to the glory of God, that as we interact in this blog we may be the "iron-sharpens-iron" type of friends that Proverbs talks about.
So, enjoy reading! Hopefully there will be something that encourages you or challenges you. I welcome any and all responses (regardless of age, Kathy Hickey!!!) Yes, I just totally called you out, in love, in the middle of my blog :-)

Tonight I read Psalm 19, which concludes with this verse: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." For some reason this verse was more convicting to me than ever. The "and" separating the first two phrases stood out and kind of screamed at me. Just the realization that there is a connection between the words we speak AND the things we allow our heart and mind to meditate on. I was convicted about how often I miserably fail and how often in my past I have been this person with a blatant disconnect between words spoken and heart condition. It reminded me of  Isaiah 29:13a which says "... this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me..."  Not that a catch-phrase from a pop-culture icon is adequate, but you can insert a big D'OH for me here. (In case I lost anyone there, this would be a poorly-timed reference to the notoriously stupid, accident-prone, and unwise decision making, Homer J. Simpson)

I guess the point is that none of us like being on the receiving end of lip service, which is defined as "verbal expression of agreement or allegiance, unsupported by real conviction or action; hypocritical respect.(www.dictionary.com).  If you think about it, it's funny (in a pathetic sort of way) that we even think we are somehow fooling God into believing that we are sincere, when scripture tells us that God "searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts." (1 Chronicles 28:9)  Oops.

I am grateful for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in reading scripture. The refining/sanctification process isn't always easy or fun, but it is GOOD.
By the grace of God I am leaving the office tonight thinking about and meditating on these things, mentioned earlier in Psalm 19:7-10..."The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold."
 And with a sincere heart and an honest desire, Lord, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."